Artists reception with light refreshments from 5-9 PM.
Click on the links above to see more about each of our featured artists, and samples of their work.
Many or all of our 14 artists will also be on hand to show their work and talk to you about their art. Please join us for a fun evening downtown!
2024 Downtown Billings Spotlight Award Nominations
The businesses, organizations, and individuals who live and work in downtown Billings are the heartbeat of downtown. We, the Downtown Billings Association, believe it’s important to celebrate and honor those who have contributed to downtown Billings’ growth, diversity, vitality, and investment in our community with the Downtown Billings Spotlight Awards.
2024 Ziggy Ziegler Award Recipient Matt Blakeslee2024 Downtown Gem Award Recipient Toad n Willow
If you know of a downtown champion who has been actively involved in making good things happen or has made a positive impact on our downtown community, please submit a nomination in one of the award categories mentioned below.
The Downtown Billings Spotlight Award nomination period ends Wednesday May 29th at 11:59pm MST.
To be awarded to a downtown business that has been in operation for no less than 1 year and no more than 3 years and has demonstrated strong potential via growth, innovation, and leadership. Additionally, the business has demonstrated a culture of risk-taking and trailblazing and has positioned itself to achieve similar successes in the future through new or innovative product or service, quality of merchandise/ customer service, job creation, growth potential, and market served.
Downtown Gem Award
To be awarded to a business who has been in operation for more than 10 years who still shines as a staple in downtown Billings due to their consistent commitment to innovation, community leadership, quality of merchandise/customer service, and job creation.
Golden Broom Award
To be awarded to a business that excel in maintaining an attractive and welcoming street front presence.
Good Neighbor Award
To be awarded to a downtown neighbor (business owner, property owner, employee, etc.) who is always willing to offer a helping hand to fellow “downtowners”
The ‘Cheers’ Award
To be awarded to one of downtown’s countless service/hospitality industry workers who provide an excellent experience for those they help. This individual provides thoughtful customer service that makes a moment special, welcoming, and positive.
Downtown Development Award
To be awarded to a building/business owner with the most improved façade or strongest completed building development project, July 2023 – June 2024.
Ziggy Ziegler Award
To be awarded to an individual whose efforts positively affect how people feel about downtown Billings. The Ziggy Ziegler Award recipient has facilitated the development of our downtown community, actively contributing to the growth, vitality, and overall appeal and betterment of downtown Billings in the spirit of Ziggy Ziegler.
2024 Alive After 5 Summer Concert Series lineup announced
Our most anticipated summer concert series, Alive After 5, is back for its twenty-first anniversary season. The 2024 Alive After 5 series, is presented by us (the DBA) and Valley Credit Union. The series runs Thursday evenings, 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm, June 6 to July 25, 2024. The outdoor concerts occur weekly at different downtown locations (except the week of July 4th).
Admission: Admission is free to the public, however, those 21 and older, wishing to consume alcohol will need to purchase a wristband for $3.
The V.I.P. Option: Twenty $10 V.I.P wristbands are available each week, and can be purchased before 12:00 pm each Thursday, either in person at the DBA’s office located at 102 N. 29th St. or by calling the DBA office at (406) 294-5060. The V.I.P. area offers a shaded space for you to cool off, hang out, and enjoy the show. The V.I.P. The area includes tables, chairs, free ice-cold water, and a great view of the stage.
The revenue generated through the wristband sales at each Alive After 5 helps sustain the coordination and facilitation of our downtown beautification projects, public art projects, and other free community-centric events we host throughout the year.
Sign up to volunteer to help. We need volunteers to help wristband and greet attendees at each of the Alive After 5 events. Volunteer shifts are 2 hours each (start at 4:30pm or 6:00pm) and include a free beverage & food voucher to use within the event and a free $3 wristband (for volunteers over 21 years old) so you can enjoy a drink should you wish to.
Alive After 5 started in Billings in 2003, by a group of downtown restaurant and property owners. At its beginning, Alive After 5 featured five Alive After 5 locations including Walkers, McCormick Cafe, Montana Brewing Company, the former Pug Mahon’s, and the former Rex restaurant on Montana Avenue. Over its twenty-one year history, Alive After 5’s concerts have been hosted at a variety of different locations throughout downtown’s Business Improvement District (B.I.D.). The 2024 season welcomes new hosts, some favorite locations, and a line-up of local and national touring bands. The series, coordinated by the DBA from set-up to tear-down and beyond, brings over 11,000 people to downtown Billings each summer.
Thank you for supporting the businesses that support our efforts to keep downtown both clean and safe.
Yee-Haw Hee-Haw, Western Days 2024
Two nights of Honky Tonkin’ music and comedy, “live” in Downtown Billings. Gates open at 6pm both nights. This is a 21+ party.
Tuck Everlasting – Youth Production at NOVA
Based on the novel by Natalie Babbitt, this story asks the question, “What would you do if you had all eternity?”. Eleven-year-old Winnie Foster yearns for a life of adventure beyond her white picket fence. Not until she becomes unexpectedly entwined with the Tuck Family does she get more than she could have imagined. A Youth Conservatory production directed by Samantha Pfeifer.
NOVA presents Brigadoon!
This final show of the 2023-24 NOVA season brings music, dancing, fun and enchantment to the stage! A Lerner & Loewe musical, this whimsical tale tell the story of two American tourists who stumble upon a misty little Scottish town that only awakens once every one hundred years. Directed by Precious McKenzie
Featured: Yellowstone Art Museum Receives Two Major Gifts Totaling $1.4 Million
The Yellowstone Art Museum (YAM) has announced that the museum has received its single largest gift, from a private donor, in its sixty-year history. Deborah Anspach and John Hanson, longtime Billings residents, have gifted $1 million to the YAM’s Endowment Fund. Additionally, the Mary Alice Fortin Family Foundation, Inc. recently committed $400,000 to the ongoing care of the YAM’s historic building and in support of Education Outreach at the museum.
The generous gift from Deborah Anspach and John Hanson will financially support the position of the executive director and, in honor of the gift, the executive director’s position will now be named “The Deborah Anspach and John Hanson Executive Director of the Yellowstone Art Museum.” Jessica Kay Ruhle, the YAM Executive Director, said, “Deborah and John have been steadfast supporters of the arts for many years. They have donated countless hours of leadership and service to the museum and other civic organizations in town. They embody a spirit of warmth, good cheer, and generosity. We are honored and deeply grateful for their continued support of the museum, and their commitment to making Billings a vibrant place to live and work.”
“What the Yellowstone Art Museum does so well is to act as a collective memory for Billings and the surrounding region to help us better understand ourselves and preserve our various cultures. Art shapes and changes lives, in positive ways. Time and time again, we hear stories from so many people, about how art and art making saved their lives. Art matters.”
Deborah Anspach
Deborah Anspach is a retired attorney and YAM Trustee. John Hanson, a retired physician, shared, “It’s more fun to do this when you’re alive to see the gift in action.” Philanthropy and community involvement are driving factors in this couple’s philosophy.
“We hope our gift inspires others to give. Give what you are able. It all makes a difference.”
John Hanson
“It truly is an astounding gift,” said Precious McKenzie, Director of Advancement. “When they told us of their intentions, our executive team was, at first, speechless, awestruck. Then we were just absolutely moved to tears by their generosity. Words cannot express how grateful we are for this amazing gift. Deborah and John are inspiring. This gift makes a tremendous impact for the future of the museum.”
The Mary Alice Fortin Foundation, Inc. has a long and meaningful history of philanthropy in Billings and throughout the country. This significant contribution to the YAM is designated for the restoration of the building and to increase access to Education Outreach programs. Specifically, the support to education will help fund scholarships to the YAM’s summer camp programs and will provide resources to expand art education opportunities specifically for Indigenous community members.
These two are testaments to the growth the museum has recently experienced. In 2023, the museum was awarded a $240,000 grant from Art Bridges to break down barriers to access by making museum admission free for the next three years.
The Yellowstone Art Museum celebrates its 60th anniversary this year and will honor the museum’s history and future at programs throughout 2024.
Featured: Sandstone Gallery Completes “Symbols of Montana” Mural on Downtown Billings’ #LightBikeTrail
A new mural titled “Symbols of Montana” has just been completed in the alleyway between Sandstone Gallery and the Yarn Bar in downtown Billings. As part of the #LightBikeTrail sponsored by Downtown Billings Alliance (DBA).
The #LightBikeTrail will be a mapped and walkable trail of 10, neon-lit bicycle mural installations that winds through the alleyways of downtown Billings and is sponsored by Downtown Billings Alliance (DBA). The idea of the #LightBikeTrail is to brighten dark areas to make them safer and more beautiful, and to make an enjoyable family walk or bike ride through downtown. Sandstone Gallery was awarded a grant to install a fifty-foot wide by twelve-foot-high mural depicting traditional and well-known symbols of Montana.
The first step was to get the building owner’s approval. Once approval was attained, the fun began with the design consisting of several symbols of Montana including the state animal – grizzly bear; the state bird – meadowlark; the state flower – bitterroot; and other symbols many people recognize as truly “Montana” – moose, paintbrush flowers, and big sky. The grizzly was designed after Lynn Shield’s “Purple Bear” painting, and the moose was designed after Sandstone’s Co-Director Teresa Brown’s “Mr. Moose” painting. The meadowlark and flowers are a combination of styles by other gallery artists. The next step was submitting the proposal to DBA and waiting.
“I absolutely loved painting the bear. It is the largest canvas I’ve ever worked on, and it was a wonderful challenge. But I think what I loved most about this project was the teamwork of our members. I’ve only been with Sandstone for a few years, and this is the largest team project we’ve worked on. I really loved the energy everyone had toward creating something lasting and beautiful. I believe we reached our goal of representing Montana and the diverse styles of our artists.”
Lynn sheild, artist
Once we were given the green light, the real work began with Sandstone’s member artists Dick Cottrill, Madelein Bladow, Teresa Brown, and Ken Denning power washing the wall, which likely had 20 years of dust and who knows what on it, making sure to keep the integrity of the old bricks. Next came color selection from the amazing colors by Sherwin Williams. Dick, Ken, Lynn, Teresa, and Madelein spray painted the base coat of blue and yellow. Then, on a dark night in late August, Lynn and Teresa projected the design onto the wall and sketched the outlines of the moose, bear, and meadowlark. A few days later, Lynn set up early morning before dawn to sketch all the flowers and grass along the bottom of the mural.
“I loved seeing our vision come to life, and conquering my fears.” When asked about her favorite part, she said, “It so awesome to showcase the many talents of our gallery artists on a lasting piece of art to be enjoyed by the entire community.”
Teresa Brown, artist & Sandstone gallery co-director
Next, a schedule for painting was set, and the artists of Sandstone Gallery showed up with paintbrushes in hand. Lynn painted her bear and Teresa painted her moose, while Dick Cottrill painted the meadowlark. Lana Bittner, Madelein Bladow, Mary Hopper, Donna Moore, William Crain, Sandstone’s Co-Director Jennifer Crain Baretta, Ken Denning, and Christine Denning, all lent their artistic skills to the body of the mural. Some of Sandstone’s member partners were unavailable on painting days for various reasons, but they were there in spirit: Sandstone’s Treasurer Nancy Morrison, Victoria Wetsch, John Kennedy, Ken Dvorak, and Leo Olson Estate. Greg Brown selflessly volunteered to transport, set up and tear down scaffolding each day, for which the artists are very thankful. All told, over 160 man-hours were spent painting this vibrant mural. Teresa Brown struggled with heights but was able to muster up enough determination to brave scaffolding for two full days of painting.
“Thank you to Downtown Billings. We love our mural, and we are proud to be part of the Light Bike Trail! We have wanted to do something like this for many years, and this grant opportunity helped make our dreams a reality.”
Jennifer Baretta, sandstone gallery co-director
Sandstone Gallery, located at 2913 2nd Avenue North in downtown Billings is a “Made in Montana” designated co-op gallery of sixteen local artists in the Billings, Montana, area with paintings, sculpture, jewelry, ceramics, glass, photography, cards and gifts. Regular hours are Tuesday – Friday 10 am – 5 pm, Saturday 10 am – 2 pm. The gallery is closed Sundays, Mondays and holidays.
For more information, call (406)256-5837, email sandstonegallerymt@gmail.com, or visit the website at sandstonegallerymt.com.
Alive After 5 wraps up its 20th Anniversary season at McCormick Cafe location August 3rd.
Alive After 5, Thurs. Aug 3, 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm Location: Between McCormick Cafe (2419 Montana Ave.) & Craft Local Band: Lost Canyons
McCormick Cafe, located at 2419 Montana Ave., has been an Alive After 5 host location for all twenty years of the series’ existence making it the perfect place for us to wrap up the 20th Anniversary season on Thursday, August 3rd from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm, while band Lost Canyons, an indie rock duo from Bozeman Montana, make their Alive After 5 debut.
The Lost Canyons consists of Kennan Krause (vocals and guitar) and Mitch Lauenstein (acoustic, banjo, vocals). The group was recently voted as the #1 New Local Band and #2 Local Rock Band for 2023 Bozeman’s Choice!
Every Alive After 5 season has a line-up that includes local, regional, and national bands. We know the Billings community love to support their local favorites so we make sure they are in the line-up, But we also see and hear all the time that they enjoy and crave a chance to support other touring bands from around Montana or from out of state too. This season alone we’ve hosted bands and musicians from Billings, Bozeman, Red Lodge, Hardin, Nashville, Illinois, and Colorado.
Alive After 5 is coordinated, from set-up to tear-down, annually by our downtown Business Improvement District (B.I.D.), a non-profit whose work plan focuses on a clean and safe downtown. The B.I.D. is a one of the four non-profit’s housed within the Downtown Billings Alliance (DBA). In the eight weeks leading up to this week’s final concert, our 2023 Alive After 5 series has brought over 11,000 people to downtown Billings this summer.
What is Alive After 5?
Alive After 5 is a weekly, all ages, outdoor summer event coordinated, from set-up to tear-down, annually by our Downtown team and hosted at a different downtown location each Thursday in June and July. Created to offer an outdoor space with live music and drinks for the community to gather downtown together during the week after work. The event moves from location to location to help boost the downtown economy of various downtown businesses, restaurants, breweries, and bars open in the evenings.
Admission
Admission for each Alive After 5 is free to the public, however, those 21 and older wishing to consume alcohol must purchase a $2 wristband at one of the Purple DBA tents at the event.
The V.I.P. Area At each Alive After 5 there is a special tented V.I.P. area with seating options, tables, free ice-cold water, and easy access to one of the event bar locations. There are only twenty $10 V.I.P wristbands sold to the public each week, the rest of the V.I.P. wristbands are given to the many sponsors who support the Alive After 5 series. To purchase one of the twenty V.I.P. Wristband ahead of time you can call (406-294-5060) or visit the DBA office (116 N. 29th Street) Monday through Wednesday 9am to 4pm.
Get ready to rock ‘n’ roll at the July 27th Alive After 5 at Tiny’s Tavern.
Alive After 5, Thurs. July 27, 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm Location: Tiny’s Tavern (323 N. 24th St.) Band: Ryan Chrys and the Rough Cuts
Tiny’s Tavern, located at 323 N. 24th St., celebrated their 30th Anniversary earlier this year. In March, their team led our Downtown St. Patrick’s Day parade as Grand Marshal with an impressive 30 foot tall float of a schooner glass of their locally famous Orange Crush drink. The float, made by their team using tens of thousands of napkins, was named as the parade’s 2023 Best Overall Entry. .
Now that summer is in full swing, Tiny’s Tavern is ready to host the next Alive After 5 concert on Thursday, July 27th, from 5:00pm to 8:00pm on N. 24th St. between 3rd and 4th Ave N. Tiny’s team will undoubtedly be serving their Orange Crush drinks along with other beverages all while Ryan Chrys and the Rough Cuts, Colorado’s Country Music Hall of Fame 2019 Band of the Year, is on stage getting the whole crowd rocking.
“Tiny’s has been hosting an Alive After 5 concert for almost the entirety of the summer music series’ existence. Their 2019 Alive After 5 with Arterial Drive held the attendance record until just two weeks ago. The community knows that the Tiny’s Alive After 5 is a fun one and they show up no matter the forecast.”
Lindsay Richardson, Community Engagement & Events Director
Whether you love classic country or ’70s rock ‘n’ roll you are guaranteed to dance and sing the night away. Ryan Chrys and the Rough Cuts are a four piece band from Colorado consisting of Ryan Chrys (vocals/guitar), Michael Jochum (drums), Susan Phelan (bass/vocals) and Lauren Michaels (vocals). The group shares male and female leads in a mix of old school country and rock n roll. Their sound is influenced by the songs and personalities of legends like Waylon and Willie, they drive their sound with blazing guitars and a rock ‘n’ roll attitude. The band pays respect to classic styles, but anyone can tell from their overdriven sound that they’re far from traditionalists. Known for their original style of blending old school country and rock ‘n” roll. They’ve directly supported Dwight Yoakam, Shooter Jennings, Blackberry Smoke, Jason Boland, Justin Moore and more.
This year’s 20th Anniversary of Alive After 5 is presented by our title sponsor Valley Credit Union. Alive After 5 is a weekly summer concert series that takes place Thursday evenings from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm, outdoors at a different downtown location, June 8 through August 3.
Details on next week’s August 3rd concert at McCormick Cafe can be found here.
Admission
Alive After 5 is an all ages event. Admission for each Alive After 5 is free to the public, however, those 21 and older wishing to consume alcohol must purchase a $2 wristband at one of the Purple DBA tents at the event.
The V.I.P. Area A special tented V.I.P. area with seating options, tables, free ice-cold water, and easy access to one of the event bar locations. Only twenty, $10 V.I.P wristbands are available for purchase each week. To purchase a V.I.P. Wristband ahead of time you can call (406-294-5060) or visit the DBA office (116 N. 29th Street) Monday through Wednesday 9am to 4pm. All remaining V.I.P. wristbands will be sold on a first-come-first-serve basis each Thursday on-site directly at the week’s Alive After 5 V.I.P. area.
